Interesting Ira.
" General Assembly Defeats Request to Strike Israel from KP Resolution
The General Assembly suspended its deliberations for consultations Friday morning after the U.S., Canada and Israel challenged the Syrian parliamentary maneuver and expressed confusion over what it meant and what effect it would have. After a recess, the General Assembly reconvened, and the Syrian amendment was defeated 90-6, with 18 abstentions. Iran and North Korea joined Syria and some Arab nations in voting against Israel.
The Syrian objection came as the Assembly was poised to adopt a Namibia-sponsored resolution welcoming progress over the past year in efforts to cut the trade in "conflict diamonds," which have provoked some of Africa''s most vicious civil wars and rebel movements. The objection was a surprise, never raised before Friday''s vote as a consensus draft resolution was developed.
Syria objected to a passing reference near the end of the six-page resolution that simply noted that nations involved in the Kimberley Process "selected Israel to chair" their efforts in 2010. The decision was made at an annual meeting in November in Namibia.
Syria accused Israel of dealing in "blood diamonds" from Cote d''Ivoire to finance arms transactions, an accusation that Israel strenuously denied. Israel is a global trading center for rough diamonds, and was among the founders of the Kimberley Process.
In late October, the U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to extend an arms embargo on Cote d''Ivoire and a ban on the export of rough diamonds from that nation for another year as well as travel and financial sanctions on individuals violating human rights and blocking peace.
U.N. experts recommended that Israel investigate the possible involvement of Israeli nationals and companies in the illegal export of Ivorian diamonds and said Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates should monitor diamond polishing to deter the import and processing of stones from Cote d''Ivoire.
Another key offender, Zimbabwe, was not criticized in Friday''s General Assembly resolution, an omission that led delegates from the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Israel to give speeches expressing their disappointment, saying that while they voted for the resolution they were unable to co-sponsor it due to the hands-off treatment given President Robert Mugabe''s regime.
Kimberley Process investigators say in a confidential report obtained by The Associated Press that that diamonds mined in Zimbabwe''s Marange fields were dug by virtual slaves who had been told to dig or die, and were smuggled out by soldiers who rape and beat civilians.
It should
fyi, it seems the login is arrived at my registering...at no cost. Though, it takes a minute to realize your user name, when registering, is your e-mail address...
"flooded"
Dmitri,
When controversy was stoked anew in 2006 with the Leonardo DiCaprio movie Blood Diamond, the industry simply pointed to the existence of the Kimberley Process to convince moviegoers that conflict diamonds were an old problem that had already been solved.
Unfortunately, that's not the case. In theory, all countries that are signatory to the Kimberley Process agree not to import or export conflict diamonds; the origins of the diamonds are "verified" through a set of simple-sounding procedures. Producing countries export their diamonds in tamper-proof packages accompanied by a certificate guaranteeing that the stones did not come from conflict zones (this assumes that robust internal controls exist in producing countries). The Kimberley Process monitors compliance through peer reviews, statistical analysis and site visits; countries found to be in violation of the agreement can be expelled or suspended, meaning they can no longer export their diamonds to any of the agreement's member countries.
The reality is different. According to recent reports by NGOs, including Global Witness, Partnership Africa Canada and Human Rights Watch, blood diamonds are still circulating freely and smuggling remains rampant. Some of the worst countries in the diamond business, such as Sierra Leone, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo, can't account for where as many as 50 percent of the diamonds they export originate, making their status as clean gems highly questionable. Meanwhile, Cote d'Ivoire, the only country considered to be the source of "official" conflict diamonds due to rebel control of its northern diamond mines, has expanded its production since it was placed under UN sanction in 2004, meaning the rebels are finding willing markets for them somewhere.
Ira the various NGO''s that monitor and criticize weakness in the KP have been remiss in any attempts to quantify conflict diamonds that cross borders and find their way into the shipments from ''clean'' nations.
Despite this pessimism, I hear the elements of the necessary efforts to make repair may be in place.
Jim, I'll go ahead and shoot myself in the foot here, and report from the limited info I have been able to pick-up both a) from this thread, and also through b) casual research, that, by either luck or purpose, you are one of the guys that can offer your customers options for which you are able to identify the diamond's sources.
No Ira:
The trouble is that the vast majority of pristine ''clean'' diamonds come from places like Canada and Australia. There is no benefication to third world countries.
Might some (and enough) of these options that are trackable...be coming from RIo or BHP?
For the latest in sillyness, try using this search criteria on youtube
"conflict diamonds African Diamond Council"
A classic attempt to shoot yourself in the foot. It could be a very successful wounding. But it would be hard to comprehend how this could add any value since it is so very difficult to buy a diamond from Africa that has 100% provable provenance.
On the site http://www.africandiamondcouncil.org/index.php?menu=1
Hard to take any organisation seriously that allows Zimbabwae as a member.
Totally...
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